Description
- This moist and classic carrot cake is packed with crushed pineapple, brown sugar, and warm spices topped with smooth cream cheese frosting for the ultimate comfort dessert.
Ingredients
Scale
- 440g / 20 oz crushed pineapple, drained (reserve juice)
- 1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
- 3/4 cup milk (room temperature)
- 1 tsp white vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 180g block-style cream cheese
- 225g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. Line two 8–9” round pans or one 9×13” pan.
- Drain crushed pineapple and reserve 1/4 cup juice.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk milk, vinegar, eggs, brown sugar, oil, and pineapple juice.
- Stir in carrots, pineapple, coconut, and nuts.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients gently.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth the top.
- Bake 35 minutes (round pans) or 40 minutes (sheet pan), until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely before frosting.
- Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth.
- Add powdered sugar in batches and beat until fluffy.
- Frost cooled cake as desired and garnish with extra nuts if using.
Notes
- Use block-style cream cheese for stable, thick frosting.
- Pack carrots tightly when measuring.
- Avoid deep single-layer pans to ensure even baking.
- Cake tastes even better the next day after chilling.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 709
- Sugar: 69g
- Sodium: 340mg
- Fat: 37g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 92g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 95mg